METRO-NORTH DERAILMENT DRAMA: Trains run past the scene of a fatal Metro-North derailment for the first time today, but the full tale of an accident that killed four people is far from told. The train operator apparently fell asleep or otherwise zoned out before the crash — his lawyer said he had “highway hypnosis.” Much of that info broke yesterday thanks to reporters talking to Anthony Bottalico, general chairman of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees, which was a part of the investigation. Emphasis on “was.” After a slew of Tuesday stories about the train driver nodding off before the crash, the NTSB last night took ACRE off of its investigation. Groups working with the safety agency have to abide by its rules, including a strict gag order on publicizing information from an ongoing investigation. The NSTB said Bottalico “discussed and interpreted information related to the on-going investigation.” Kathryn has much more in her story: http://politi.co/ILMMCZ

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One example of what he said: “People use the word ‘zoned out,’ ‘nod,’ ‘fell asleep,’ “ he was quoted in the New York Times. “I’m not a sleep expert.” http://nyti.ms/1eUBiIa

Not the first time: The NTSB kicked the National Air Traffic Controllers Association off of an investigation in 2009 after the group talked about it in press conferences and releases, including after a warning. http://1.usa.gov/1cXxLXp

Hudson Line service resumes today: The Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx will be reopened today, just three days after the accident. Only one of the three tracks will be open, however, and the MTA will run three morning rush hours trains instead of the usual six, with delays of 10 to 15 minutes.

HAPPENING TODAY — Gas tax bill: With ten months until the next transportation bill is due and top players stuck in a staring contest over how to pay for it, Rep. Earl Blumenauer has an idea: Boost the gas tax 15 cents and pave the road for a future vehicle miles traveled fee. Today he’ll roll out dual bills to hike the gas tax up to 33.4 cents per gallon within a few years, as outlined in Simpson-Bowles, and to expand Oregon’s landmark VMT pilot program. Pros get a jump on everyone else with text of the gas tax ( http://politico.pro/1jiptOI) and VMT ( http://politico.pro/1hwIOws) bills. And if that’s not enough, Pros get my story — along with some very skeptical congressional reaction — a full day before it’s in the paper: http://politico.pro/1jkdG2B

T&I markup: The House Transportation Committee marks up a pair of transportation bills today. One ( http://1.usa.gov/1jifM2M) would ensure that any FAA action to address sleep apnea for pilots or air traffic controllers goes through a formal rulemaking, similar to a version for truckers that was enacted earlier this year. The other bill, the Transportation Reports Elimination Act ( http://1.usa.gov/1cTpzHX) from Chairman Bill Shuster and top Dem Nick Rahall, updates the list of reports DOT has to file.

WEDNESDAY GETS INTO THE WEEDS. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where today’s ominous deadline is the next FAA bill being due in 666 days. Satan was unavailable for comment. Please send me your tips, news and insights: asnider@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @ AdamKSnider.

BILLIONAIRES LOVE TRANSPORTATION: And they’re using their riches in some visionary ways. Kevin has the front-page POLITICO story, complete with original artwork by our own Matt Wuerker: “Stodgy world of planes, trains and automobiles, meet the billionaires with ‘Star Trek’ dreams. Technology moguls are brimming with ideas for bringing flying robots, self-driving cars, people-moving tubes and space-traveling tourists to the sleepy realm of transportation, which hasn’t seen a major shakeup in decades. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos wants his drones to air-drop packages to your house, Google is putting big money into driverless cars, PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk has outlined a concept for shooting passengers through a giant ‘Hyperloop’ and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic would launch tourists around the Earth. But the people who changed the way you shop, send money and search for information are finding it won’t be as easy to change the way you drive, ride and fly.” His story looks at the likelihood of each: http://politico.pro/1cXKUzv

Speaking of… SpaceX’s first mission to put a satellite in geostationary orbit yesterday was a success. http://bit.ly/1bHwkQ8

TRANSPO STAFF NEWS: There’s a slew of transpo staff changes to catch up on — starting with five-year Blumenauer transportation aide Tyler Frisbee leaving the Hill for San Francisco. Her last day is Friday, according to an email she sent around that was obtained by MT. House Speaker John Boehner promoted Natasha Eckard; she’ll be an assistant to the speaker for policy with control of transportation and infrastructure issues ( http://1.usa.gov/1bGZmPY). On the second day of the Todd Hauptli era, AAAE announced a handful of staff promotions: Steve Gironda, VP, Finance; Jeff Holman, VP, Information Services; Pat Raker, Senior VP, Training and Technology Services; Melissa Sabatine, Senior VP, Regulatory Affairs; and Brad Van Dam, Senior VP, Government Affairs ( http://bit.ly/1ckehhx). And WTS International, a group promoting women in transportation, has hired Lynda M. Dorman as its chief corporate relations officer.

** A Message from Stop Air Tax Now: As part of a potential budget deal, Congress is seeking to double the TSA Passenger Security Tax! As if raising the cost of air travel were not bad enough, the funds collected would not be used to improve aviation security. It’s a classic bait and switch! **

WHO’S DOWN WITH PTC? Kathryn has the big picture on positive train control after the Metro-North crash: “There’s little dispute that PTC can save lives, and most industry players and policymakers agree conceptually with installing the technology. However, there’s been significant pushback against the mandated deadline because of the technological complexity of making the shift, along with the financial costs. Freight railroads in particular have asked for more time to implement PTC, since only one of the four major freight carriers has said it will be able to meet the deadline. The Association of American Railroads stressed that it supports installing PTC and has already spent nearly $3 billion in PTC-related upgrades, but it warns that meeting the system-wide deadline will be all but impossible.” Much more in her story: http://politico.pro/19frdAZ

HEADS UP — California HSR hearing: House T&I’s rail panel is planning a hearing next week on a judge’s recent ruling against the California high-speed rail project, subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham told MT. The hearing, preliminarily set for next Thursday, will focus on a Sacramento judge’s move to block the sale of bonds for the project and to force the California High-Speed Rail Authority to rewrite its financing plan, said Denham, a long-time critic of the $68 billion project. A formal announcement on the hearing could come today. Denham also said he and staff are still gathering information on the Metro-North derailment and have not decided about a hearing on the issue.

WHITE HOUSE CLARIFIES CHINESE AIRSPACE ISSUE: From a senior administration official, trying to clear things up after reports of China’s new airspace rule and Japan’s refusal to comply: “What the FAA has done is simply reiterate longstanding practice that for the safety and security of passengers, U.S. civilian aircraft operate consistent with NOTAMs the world over.”

** A Message from Stop Air Tax Now: Passengers and airlines already pay 17 federal aviation taxes annually, which totaled $19 billion last year. The federal tax bite on a typical $300 domestic round-trip ticket is now $62, or 21 percent of the total ticket price. Higher taxes drive up the cost of air travel for our customers and dampen demand, which hurts the economy, jobs and reduces air service to communities. A4A, labor and consumer groups have joined together to oppose this unfair and unwarranted tax hikes. Let Congress and the President know that you oppose the proposed increases to the TSA Passenger Security Tax. Go to stopairtaxnow.com to let your voices be heard — loud and clear — and to stay updated on our progress. **

** A message from the U.S. Travel Association: To make America competitive again, we need to be connected, to each other and the world. America has zero airports ranked in the top 25 globally, and that's more than just an embarrassment—it's a missed opportunity. Travel is critical to our country's trade balance, since it accounts for ten percent of all exports, and supports one in nine American jobs. If we're not connected through modern airports, America loses out. Investment in our country's infrastructure is an investment in connectivity, which is vital for our people, our economy, and our place on the global stage. Learn more: http://bit.ly/1QLPK5L **

Authors:

About The Author

Adam Snider is a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro and author of Morning Transportation. He has covered transportation since 2007, joining POLITICO in 2011 to launch MT and later found the word “Mica-ism.”

Snider is a fan of all modes of transportation, though nothing beats a good silly walk. In his spare time, he can be found brewing a hoppy beer, rooting for the Nationals, watching a bad 1970s horror movie or exploring the District from his home base in Mount Pleasant.

Adam studied English and communications at Clemson University in South Carolina. His work has been featured by Nieman Journalism Lab and his snark has appeared on MSNBC. He has had several works of fiction published in literary journals and is constantly reminded of his proclamation to a fiction professor many years ago that journalism is for sellouts who abandon their creative dreams.